Domenico Modugno

Domenico Modugno (9 January 1928-6 August 1994) was an Italian singer-songwriter and politician who served in the Chamber of Deputies from 2 July 1987 to 18 April 1990 (representing Turin) and in the Senate from 18 April 1990 to 22 April 1992 (representing Rome's fourth district) as a Radical Party of Italy member.

Biography
Domenico Modugno was born in Polignano a Mare, Apulia, Italy in 1928, and he was raised in Lecce. During the 1950s, he became an actor and singer, with his 1957 song "Lazzarella" bringing him a first taste of popularity; in 1958, his song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" won third place in the Eurovision Song Contest as Italy's entry. He again represented Italy in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, and he acted in 44 movies during the 1960s. In 1984, Modugno was forced to retire from his artistic career after suffering from a stroke and being partially paralyzed, and he instead entered politics. Having become an advocate for disabled people's rights, he was elected congressman for Turin in the Italian Parliament in 1987 as a Radical Party of Italy member, having previously supported the Italian Socialist Party. From 1990 to 1992, he served in the Senate as a Senator from Rome's fourth district. He died of a heart attack at his seaside home on Lampedusa in 1994.